NOVEMBER is National Children’s Month, a special time for children in Consolacion, Cebu.

This year’s celebration is a whole month of input for children and for their caretakers: parents, guardians, teachers and other concerned adults.

High school students of Our Lady of Joy Learning Center in Barangay Jugan in Consolacion have been producing posters and videos on topics prepared by government departments coordinating for the event: the Municipal Social Welfare and Development, Department of Education, Municipal Health Unit and the Philippine National Police. These are featured on the Facebook page of Consolacion Municipal Government almost daily.

The topics include children’s rights; safety at home, on the streets and in public places; health concerns such as malnutrition and childhood illnesses; protection from different forms of abuse and exploitation including cyber crime and addiction; and a sensitive but sensible discussion of the dangers of teenage sex and pregnancy, child marriage and child brides.

The school’s project supports the government’s focus on the Filipino children’s welfare.

The students’ posters were sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Cebu Mandaue North. Supporting the national celebration is part of the school’s thrust to be truly ALIVE, embracing the Arts, Leadership, Intelligences, Values and the Environment. The school is also a member of the Advocates of Living Values Education (ALIVE-Philippines), a nongovernmental organization that promotes peace as a way of life.

Children’s Month in Consolacion will also be highlighted by a virtual Children’s Congress on Nov. 26, 2021, another event that public and private schools are invited to attend, including Our Lady of Joy Learning Center.